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Ford and techno DJs make Fusion music

May 23, 2012

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Detroit and techno music go together almost as well as Detroit and cars. With the Movement Electronic Music Festival coming up this Memorial Day weekend, sponsor Ford decided to get a few DJs together to make a beat-laden song using sounds from the new Fusion.

Techno artists Keith Kemp, Joshua Harrison and Tom Newman recorded all of the sounds that the Fusion makes—doors closing, reverse and seatbelt chimes, window motors and, of course, the engine. The musicians were rounded up by festival organizer Paxahau.

“This project worked so well because techno music, by its nature, is very similar to the makeup of a car,” explains Harrison, a contributing musician and a performer at the festival. “In both cases, there are lots of little pieces mechanically put together. Just like a car, a techno song has many elements that serve their own small purpose, and the masters of the craft are those who can put it all together and make everything work as one solid piece.”

Ford says it puts a lot of effort into the beeps, blips and honks that its cars make. The most severe sounds, high-pitched staccato noises, are used for things such as the cross-traffic alert functions, while entry chimes are a more pleasant, welcoming sound. The reverse-sensor chime is in the middle, which gives a warning without causing alarm.

“Detroit inspires the world with its techno music and cars,” says Jason Huvaere, director of the Movement festival. “Techno music is engineered and manufactured by skilled innovators, much as a vehicle is. When Ford does something like this, it's exciting.”